Knitting machine



May 23, 1933- P. A. BENTLEY ET Al. 1,910,457

KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 30 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l F .z 6% 30 lg 6' mmM L'QLAIMLLTQ I 5 ai@ MEMMM May 23, 1933- P. A. BENTLEY Er AL 1,910,457

KNITTING MACHINE FiledJuly 30, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WMZ? M eW

May 23, 1933.A P. A. BENTLEY ET AL` 1,910,457

KNITTING MACHINE File'd July 30, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ilm! Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PERCIVAL ARTHUR BENTLEY, CHARLES FREDERICK MANGER, AND CARLYLE HER- BERT WAINWRIGHT, F LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS T0 THE BENTLEY EN- GINEERING COMPANY, 0F I .EICESTER, ENGLAND v KNITTING MACHINE Application mea July ao, 1929, serial No. 382,137, and iu Great 13u-itam August e, 192s.

This invention concerns improvements in knitting machines.

In the formation of a welt-in the case of, say, a sock-in a rib-knitting machine, loops of the yarn are held by needles of the rib bed while needles of the plain bed knit a suiiicient number of courses to form the welt, the loops above mentioned being then knitted. into the `fabric in the ordinary way. The loops thus knitted into the work, present thereon an appearance which differs, somewhat conspicuously, from the remainder of the knitting, but this difference 1s usually of little importance considering that the loops in question occur on the inner side of the work and thus are hidden during wear, even in the case vof a sock.

In cases, however, where it is desired that the top of the sock, in wear, be turned outwardly and folded down, the normal method of knitting the welt is objectionable in that the loops above referred to are brought into view thus detracting from the appearance of the article.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of knitting whereby this objection is overcome.

A .feature of the invention is a method of forming a welt in a rib-knitting machine which method is characterized by the fact that the courses forming the welt are knit- 4ted by needles of the rib bed of the machine.

By this method, the loops above referred to are formed on the outer side of the article and are hidden from view when the top of the sock or the like is turned outwardly and folded down.

Another feature of the invention is a ribknitting machine for forming a welt according toa method of the present invention comprising web holders or equivalent devices co-operating with needles of the rib bed in the knitting of the welt.

Such a machine may, in accordance with further feature of the invention, be one whelein needles of the plain bed are under control of a cam track that maintains them ir t position where loops of yarn are not knitted but are retained by said needles of theI plain bed during the vformation of the we t.

Other features of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the description hereinafter set forth of a convenient construction according to the invention, reference being made to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the upper portion of a knitting machine illustrative of a construction according to this invention;

Figure 2 shows a portion of the machine of Figure 1 with the parts in a different position;

Figure 3 is a plan o'f a cam plate that is employed to operate a set of web holders which are provided in the upper needle cylinder;

Figure 4 is a plan of adjusting means for the cam plate shown in Figure `3;

Figure .5 is a development of the cam box for the lower needle cylinder and shows in addition to the usual cams, other cams which are provided in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 6 is a detail of a switch cam here- I inafter referred to;

Figure 7 illustrates the manner in which the latches of the rib needles are maintained open during a portion of the knitting operation; and

Figure Sis a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner in which the needle latches are deflected in order to clear the yarn trappers during one phase of operation of the machine.

The invention is applicable to knitting Inachines capable of performing plain and rib knitting by two sets of needles whether the needles are carried in superposed cylinders or in beds of other type but thel invention will be described by way of example in connection with the type of superposed cylinder machine which' lis exemplified in the specification of British Letters Patent Nos.

laces/ieee; 24290/1912; und 171,483.

A convenient construction of-mechanism and a method ofknittingperformed thereby, both illustrative of features of the invention, willnow be described as applied to and employed in, respectively, a machine substantially like the machine described in the specification of British Letters Patent No. 301,350, except as modified as hereinafter indicated.

In the present construction, the upper needle cylinder` 10 which contains the rib needles is provided with a set of web holders 12 (Figures 1 and 2) carried in tricks in a plate or block 14 which is located near the bottom edge of the cylinder and rotates with the cylinder. The tricks in this plate 14 extend radially of the plate and below the plate there is a cam plate 16 (see also Figure 3) having on its upper face a cam groove 18 which engages butts 20 formed on the web holders 12 and thereby moves the web holders outwardly between the rib needles to cooperate therewith at the appropriate times. The cam plate 16 is normally stationary but can be moved up and down and adjusted angularly as hereinafter explained. The cam plate 16 is secured to a. rod 22 which extends axially'of the cylinder and is pressed upwardly by a spring 24 into engagement with a screw 26 in one end of a lever 28 pivoted at 30 between ears on a member 32 that is mounted for vertical adjustment upon thev machine frame. The other end of the lever 28 is engaged by the upper end ofa rod 34 the lower end of which is in the path of a cam 36 on a control drum 38. The action of. the cam 36 and spring 24 causes the cam plate 16 and the web holder plate 14 to be lowered and raised at such times in the knitting operation as the web holders 12 as a whole are to be brought into and taken out of action respectively, it being observed that in their upper position the web holders are disposed at a level above that at which the yarn is fed to the needles, the web holders being thus out of engagement with the yarn. By thus raising the web holders in the cam 16, ample clearance is afforded in the gap between the twoneedle cylinders when heel and toe pouches are being knitted. To adjust the timing of the web holders l12 in their radial movement, the cam plate. 16 can be adjusted angularly about the axis of the rod 22, the adjusting means shown herein comprising two opposed set screws 40 mounted (see Figure 4) in lugs 42 on the machine frame and abutting against the depending end of an arm 44 secured to the rod 22. The hub of this arm 44 serves as an abutment\ for the pressure exerted by the spring 24, which spring in the construction shown surrounds a boss 46 on the machine frame and pressesagainst a cap or washer 48 bearing against the said hub.

Each. web holderf12 is in the form* of a lthin blade which'is so shaped (as best shown in Figure 2) as to comprise two horizontal portions 121, 122 arranged at different levels, the inner horizontal portion 121 of the blade has formed upon its lower side the butt 20 that enters thecam groove 18 while at the front end of the outer horizontal portion 122 there is a downwardly projecting lip 123. At the location where knitting -is performed by the needles there is secured to the under-side of the cam plate 16 a thin and somewhat narrow blade 50 (see also Figure 3) arranged radially of the cam plate with its outer end (as shown 1n Figure l1) in close proximity to the inner side of the downwardly-projecting lip 123 of the web holder when the web holder is in its innermost position in its trick. The function of this blade is to prevent the yarn, while being pulled up by the rib needles, from passing from off the bottom of the portion 122 of the web holder upwardly on to the portion 121 thereof and thus to ensure that the formed loop is held down so that the needle can draw the next loop through it.

In the present machine, the needles of the upper or rib cylinder knit the courses that make upv a welt, the needles of the bottom cylinder at that time merely holding the loops. During the formation of the welt courses the bottom needles are thus not required to have impartedto them any knitting movements and to this end there is provided in the cam box surrounding the bottom cylinder an idle cam track (indicated by a chain line in Figure 5) along which run, at thetime in question, the butts of the needle sliders. To permit these butts to move into the idle track as hereinafter explained, a bolt cam 52 (Figures 2 and 5 is provided which is operated by a for ed wedge 54 which straddles the stem 56 of the bolt cam and acts upon a T-shaped end 58 of said stem. The forked wedge is moved at the appropriate time by connections from the control drum 38, these connections comprising, in the construction illustrated, a cam 60 (Figure 1) on the control drum arranged to engage the lower end of a rod 62,

the upper end of which bears against one end of a lever 64 pivoted at 66 between ears on a member 68 that is mounted for vertical adjustment on the machine A frame. The other end of the lever 64 has threaded in it a screw 68 engaging a rod 70 upon the lower end of which the wedge 54 is secured.

It has been found convenient to employ as part of the idle track aforesaid a portion 72 of a cam track that is used during reciprocatory knitting in the formation of the heel and toe pouches. To utilize such portion and 'yet toenable it to perform its original function during the reverse stroke of the reciprocatory movements of the needle cyltrolled switch .cam 74 which can be moved by the slider butts into the position indicated in chain-lines in Figure to permit the slider butts to pass into such portion during 5 the rotary lnovement of the cylinders While the welt is being formed but yet springs back to the position indicated in full lines in Figure 5 to cause the butts to run in the appropriate track while reciprocatory knitting is being performed. This spring-controlled cam 74 has its stem 76 (Figure 6) mounted in a bearing plate 78 secured to the cam box, a spring 80 secured at one end to the plate 78 and at the other to a transverse pin 82 in the stem 76 tending to move the cam 74 into its full-line position in Figure 5. r

During welt-formation, the needles of the bottom cylinder are merely holding a loop and as a consequence their latches are not under control and if they happen to swing out at right angles to the needle shank or thereabouts are liable to strike the yarntrappers that are employed in this.maehine.-.-beds,. the combination-.with a bank of Aveb- To avoid this possibility the idle track in the neighbourhood of the trappers (i.e. the part of the track indicated at 84) is shaped so as slightly to raise the needles to a. position where the latches cannot foul the trappers.

The manner in which the needle latches are moved to clear the trappers is indicated diagrammatically in Figure 8 of the drawings by the line X, the trappers bein indicated at Z and the shaded portions o? these trappers which the latches must clear being shown at Y.

In order to remove from action those needles that are not required during reciprocatory knitting, the needle sliders are provided with long butts. In the present machine, inv the bringing of all the butts into the idle track, these long butts are utilized to revent possible breakage by reason of a utt striking a corner of the track as the butt enters the track. For this purpose the boltcam 52 has two operative positions, namely one in which it will engage only the long butts which extend round half of the needle circle` and a second position where'it engages the short butts which extend round the other half of said circle. The first of these positions is shown in Figure 2 where the wedge 54 has been moved downwardly .by the action of a step 86 (Figure l) on the cam 60 to an extent suiicient to Withdraw the bolt cam 52 from the path of the short butts. Figure l shows the position of the machine parts when the bolt cam 52 is in the second of these two positions. In arriving at this second position, the bolt cam has been moved by an appropriate spring (not shown) inwardly toward the needle cylinder as far as is permitted by the wedge 54. The bolt cam.52 is so timed as to move C5 into the first position during the Ipassing of the long butts which it still continues to operate, but the short butts, when they arrive at the location of the bolt cam 52, will not be operated by that cam but will pass into the idle track. The bolt cam 52 is then complet-ely withdrawn by the high part of the cam before the long butts arrive again at the bolt-cam location so that the long butts also will now pass into the idle track. We claim v 1. In a rib-knitting machine of the cylinder type having upper andv lower needle beds, the combination with a bank of webholders adapted to cooperate with the nee-` dles of one of said beds to form a welt, of means driven from the machine for shifting said bank of web-holders axially of the cylinders to provide clearance between the upper and lower needle beds in the knitting of heel and toe pouches.

2. .In a ribknitting machine'of `the cylinder type having upper and lower needle holders adapted to cooperate with the nee- 90 dles of one of said beds to form a welt,.of a cam for actuating said web-holders, and means driven from the machine for shifting said cam and web-holders axially of the Cylinders to provide clearance between the upper and lower needle beds in the knitting of heel and toe pouches.

V3. In a rib-knitting machine of the cylinder type having upper and lower needle beds, the combination with a bank of webholders adapted to cooperate with the needles of one of said beds to form a Welt, of a cam track for actuating the needles in the other of said beds during the rib-knitting operation, an idle cam track for controlling 10 the position of the needles in the last named bed during the formation of a welt, means for associating the needles in the last named bed with either of said cam tracks, and trappers for yarn, said idle cam track being constructed to impart movement to the needles controlled thereby once in each revolution in o der to clear-said trappers.

4. In a rib-knitting machine of the cylinder type having upper and lower needle beds, the combination with a bank of web holders adapted to cooperate with the needles of one of said beds to form a Welt, of a cam track for actuating the needles in the other of said beds during the rib-knitting v operation, an idle cam track for controlling the position of the needles in the last named bed during the formation of a welt, Said cam tracks having portions common to both, needle sliders operable in said cam tracks, and an elementassociatcd with the common portions of said tracks and arranged for `movement to a position for blocking the idle cam track when the needles are reciprocated in one direction and to a position clear of said cam track when the needles are rotated, said needle sliders engaging said element to move the latter to one 0f the two positions. 0

5. In a rib-knitting machine of the cylinder type having upper and lower needle beds, the combination with a bank of web holders adapted to cooperate with the needles of one of said beds to form a welt, of a cam track for actuatin the needles in the' other of said beds during the rib-knitting operation, an idle cam track `for controlling the position of the needles in the last named bed during the formation of a welt, said cam tracks having portions common to both, needle sliders operable in said cam tracks, an element associated with the common portions of said tracks and arranged for movement to a position for block- Ving the idle cam track when the needles are reciprocated inone direction and to a position clear of s a1d cam track when the needles are rotated, said needle sliders engaging said element to move the latter to one of the'two positions, and yieldable means for moving said element to the other of the two positions.

6. In a rib-knitting machine ofthe cylinder type having upper and lower needle beds, the combination With a bank of web holders adapted to 'cooperate with the needles of the upper bed to form a welt, of means driven from the machine for shifting said bank of web holders axially of the cylinders to provide clearance between the upper and lower needle beds in the knitting of heel and toe pouches.V

7. In a rib-knitting machine of the cylinder type having upper and lower needle beds, the combination with a bank of web holders adapted to cooperate with the needles of the upper bed to form a welt, of a cam for actuating said web holders, and means driven from the machine for shifting said cam and web holders upwardly and axially of the cylinders to provide clearance between the upper and lower needle beds in the knitting of heel and toe pouches.

8. In a rib-knitting machine of the cylinder type having upper and lower needle beds, the combination with a bank of web holders adapted to cooperate with the y needles of one of said beds to forma welt,

of a cam track for actuating the needles in the other cf said beds during the rib-knitting operation, an idle cam track for controlling the position of the needles inthe last named bed during the formation of a weit, needle `sliders for the needles in said last named bed, said sliders being arranged in two groups having long and short butts respectively for operative engagement with said cam tracks, a device movable into the path of movement of said butts for deflecting the latter from one to the other of said 

